BIM in Practice –Introduction BIM IN PRACTICE In no event will the Australian Institute of Architects or Consult Australia be liable. Australian Institute of Architects Paul Nunn. including any warranties of merchantability or fitness. Arup Kevin Howie. All material in this document is copyright to: • either. No reproduction of the material is authorised unless written permission is first obtained from both the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia. from whom the material is licensed for inclusion on this site. about the content and suitability of the material. Fender Katsalidis Sheena Nelson. either jointly or severally. for any purpose. The Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia make no representations. Consult Australia John Hainsworth. the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia. GHD Julia Lemercier. Australian Institute of Architects Richard Choy. FMA Carmel McCormack. or jointly. CSI Global Services Ian Cumming. IRC David Sutherland. Rider Levett Bucknall Ross Clark. indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use. negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the material. or • a third party. HASSELL Disclaimer: This document is jointly published by the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia and contains information prepared by the joint Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia BIM/IPD Steering Group and its Workgroups. AEC Connect Carl Agar. NATSPEC//Construction Information Paul Megram. .BIM in Practice – Introduction Contributors: Dominik Holzer (Chair). whether in contract. Menco Electrical Nicholas Burt. Consult Australia Toby Maple. data or profits. or for any special. It is provided ‘as is’ without express or implied warranty. Mission and Content When positioning the AIA/Consult Australia scope in the midst of these efforts. Our first task was to find the most likely people to help us inform the AEC industry on how to adopt BIM and to agree on the BIM topics to consider. Facility Managers and Subcontractors all have a stake in BIM. we have been liaising with all of the national initiatives mentioned above. They support everyday practice as well as proposing new education strategies that inform current and future practitioners. such as the Built Environment Industry Innovation Council (BEIIC). the documents are aimed at supporting all stakeholders within the building industry. Clients. As part of our group’s effort in putting together the collection of documents that form part of this release. Engineering. Contractors. and the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF). engineers and contractors. This was not your usual round of presentations. and high level representatives of Industry bodies. sharing their expectations. Quantity Surveyors. Following the above mentioned forums and the ‘BIM in Australia 2010 Report’ a joint national BIM & IPD Steering Group was founded by the AIA and Consult Australia in mid 2011. it becomes apparent that this initiative can only add to the existing BIM discourse in a useful manner by focusing on an area that is as yet missing: The provision of easily understandable. the AIA/Consult Australia initiative is a truly broad and national effort. expanding their initial focus on data interoperability to look at a broader. short and targeted advice about BIM related matters that affect the everyday practice of those implementing it in the AEC industry. BIM & IPD Steering Group The collection of documents that form part of this release is a direct response to this call for action. Construction (AEC) industry. (Sub) Contractors. It is therefore no coincidence that we release the current set of information as a collection of 23 brief documents. We see our work as complementary to their output. Engineers. nation-wide ‘BIM Initiative’. QS. and specialist BIM Consultants. The ‘BIM in Australia 2010’ report that summarised the outcome of the BIM forums highlighted this sentiment and it was a call for action by industry bodies such as the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia. Another reason to limit the scope of the BIM & IPD steering group was that there exist already manifold initiatives and organisations across Australia (and abroad) who investigate BIM. the Australian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC). Manufacturers. More recently buildingSMART has also become increasingly active in that area. and to expand this list once there was sufficient resolution regarding existing topics. We had several hours worth of vivid conversations. Engineers. or the ‘BIM-MEPAUS’ initiative of the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors’ Association of Australia (AMCA) . Others have set up specific BIM groups and they have generated a wide body of knowledge about BIM’s implications in practice within Australia and beyond. There is one aspect in particular that I remember about the forums: Nobody held back in voicing their views.Background Back in 2010 I was first exposed to Building Information Modelling (BIM) initiatives undertaken by the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia by facilitating the Melbourne and Sydney forums of a discussion titled ‘Building Information Modelling’. and sometimes even sharing their frustrations about the use of BIM in their everyday practice. It is important to note that despite the fact that the target constituency of the AIA and Consult Australia can be understood as consultants. successes and failures of using BIM within the Architecture. There is a lot of uncertainty and there is a lot to learn about this new paradigm that is rapidly evolving and changing the way we operate throughout the industry. fired by provocative introductory speeches and comments by leading architects. Any scope for this group had to be found while avoiding double up with what others are already doing. instead the floor was the main participant with an audience that covered nearly the entire range of stakeholders within the building industry: Clients. The National BIM Guidelines released by the CRC for Construction Innovation in 2009 have become a stepping stone for many to engage with BIM in their practice.just to name a few. It was important to limit the scope of investigation to what can realistically be managed by a group of individuals who lend their in-kind contribution next to working in their respective jobs. Consisting of Architects. Dominik Holzer Chair. Contractors. Architects. One other thing became clear during those events: the Australian AEC industry as a whole is in urgent need of guidance about the implications of BIM in everyday practice. Other BIM standards can be found with the US Veterans Affairs (VA) Guide. The forums were held in four major Australia cities in order to identify the challenges. It was great to have everyone on board. It was decided to limit the focus to 3-4 topics to start with. As recent as in late 2011 and early 2012 the National Building Specification (NATSPEC) released a National BIM Guide and a BIM Management Plan Template. BIM in Practice – Introduction // Version 1 – August 2012] // Page 3 . BIM and IPD Steering Group Existing Context The promotion of BIM on a government level is being addressed by a variety of groups. it is the entire building life-cycle and work across disciplines (social BIM) that can and ought to be addressed if the industry wants to get greater value out of BIM. Chair.Contractors/Builder’s: Possible uses of BIM for Construction O5 . and why should we use one? –– Legal & Procurement – Considering BIM challenges on the contractual side P2 .Professional Indemnity Insurance L3 . but ultimately.Our initiative’s output resonates the sentiment on several occasions that there are greater benefits to be achieved when applying BIM collaboratively on projects of a certain scale. Chair BIM Management Plans Working Group (Chris Needham) –– BIM Management Plans – Streamlining multi-party collaborative BIM processes P1 .How should you prepare and apply a BIM Management Plan? –– Education – Educational requirements and the adjustment of curricula in support of BIM BIM.Educating Clients: What to ask for when requesting “BIM” O2 . Some of them will be more relevant to you than others. LEGAL and PROCUREMENT –– Outreach – Helping stakeholders in the AEC Industry to understand what BIM means for them Preface.Viable Options – Encouraging Collaboration and ‘No Blame’ BIM EDUCATION Preface.Stakeholders’ Responsibilities L4 . and client representatives.BIM and Intellectual Property Current release and future work This first release of documents provides you with a comprehensive collection of industry papers related to the four areas of investigation mentioned above. BIM in isolation within an organisation’s boundaries (lonely BIM) may well be beneficial for that firm.Architects and Building Designers: What does BIM mean to my business? O3 - Engineers: What does BIM mean to my business? O4 .Quantity Surveyors and Cost Planners: How can BIM improve my business? O6 . The formation of the Working Groups resulted in the appointment of approximately 10 members per group. Legal & Procurement Working Group (Peter Scuderi) In order to explore these four areas in greater detail.What should be addressed within a BIM Management Plan? Introduction.Manufacturers and Suppliers: What can BIM do for my products? BIM in Practice – Introduction // Version 1 – August 2012] // Page 4 . They don’t form a ‘complete’ set of documents as BIM is constantly evolving and the Steering Group will decide on a direction to take based on industry feedback. Chair BIM Outreach Working Group (Toby Maple) O1 . risk managers. covering the entire spectrum of practitioners in the AEC industry.What is a BIM Management Plan.Facilities Managers: What benefits are there for me engaging with a BIM process? O7 . INTRODUCTION Out of a list of approximately 10 topics. L1 . The complete list of documents that form part of this first release is as follows: L2 .BIM Learning Spectrum BIM OUTREACH Preface. BIM & IPD Steering Group (Dominik Holzer) with AIA (David Parken) and Consult Australia (Megan Motto) BIM! What is it? / Glossary BIM MANAGEMENT PLANS P3 . the steering group soon decided on four areas of investigation: Preface. Chair BIM. four respective Working Groups were formed in late 2011 and highly regarded industry specialists were appointed to chair them. Chair BIM Education Working Group (Bilal Succar) E1 – BIM Education and BIM Learners E2 – BIM Learning Providers E3 . as well as lawyers. We want to ensure that this effort grows and its quality increases over time and we need your support to make this happen. –– Increased potential of linking BIM to Geospatial (GIS) data and the inclusion of Urban Design.au acts as an information hub for latest updates and requests for feedback. Warm Regards Dr. Please let us know your views through the feedback channels we provide. –– Increased connectivity between ‘Design Intent’ BIM and ‘Construction BIM’ by consultants and subcontractors I am speaking on behalf of all members of the Steering and Working Groups when I encourage you to take advantage of the information provided by our initiative. Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia BIM in Practice – Introduction // Version 1 – August 2012] // Page 5 .architecture. hoping that it will enrich your practice. Some trends and future areas of investigation are already emerging: –– The increased importance of Client requirements related to the extraction of data from BIM relevant for the Operation and Maintenance of Facilities. The website we set up to download our documents http://bim. Dominik Holzer Chair: BIM & IPD Steering Group.The documents will be adjusted and new areas of investigation will be added over time.com. This will require your input in order to determine which aspects of BIM in your practice you would like to learn about in the future. Together with Consult Australia. construction and management in consideration of the entire building lifecycle. True IPD can only be achieved in a collaborative environment. Firstly.reduction of delays. elimination of variations. the Australian Institute of Architects is very proud to be presenting the first comprehensive collection of practice focussed documents related to BIM in Australia. The Institute encourages broad participation from all sectors of the built environment to get involved with the working groups. The use of more sophisticated procurement and delivery models such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and modern technological tools such as BIM will be enablers for industry efficiency gains. The advantages of embracing these key levers of productivity are obvious . facilities managers. designers and quantity surveyors. planners. Consult Australia would like to thank all of those who have contributed in the delivery of the BIM in Practice documents. and those contributions are respected. fabricators. improved delivery scheduling and more effective construction management. Chris Needham and Peter Scuderi have put in an enormous amount of effort to bring this project to fruition. but if we as an industry are to step up to the productivity challenge. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the contributors to this important piece of work. online discussions and forums. by creating consistent relationships between digital design data and building modelling technology. The adoption of BIM in particular has not been without its challenges. then we must collectively see a way through these obstacles to be able to truly embrace this game changing capability. BIM provides all partners with a tool to work towards true collaborative contracting. by ensuring critical design information is in digital form. The range of practice documents produced by the joint Consult Australia/ Australian Institute of Architects BIM and IPD Steering Group and Working Groups will provide industry practitioners with pertinent information about how to incorporate BIM into their practice and addresses areas for caution. In particular. The response so far has been outstanding with the launch events in Perth. construction and management and it is only fitting that both the Institute and Consult Australia are at the forefront of this initiative. engineers. Dominik Holzer as Chair of the BIM and IPD Steering Group and all of the Working Group Chairs. Toby Maple. BIM can allow for significant savings of time and money while increasing project quality and productivity. Secondly. it will make it more invaluable for companies to update and share information collaboratively. it would lift Australian construction output by more than $10 billion annually. project managers. BIM is providing the built environment industry with an innovative approach to building design. Melbourne and Brisbane all sold out. It is essentially the intersection of two ideas. If that wasted effort were to be reduced by only one third. It is a pragmatic approach to design. I look forward to seeing these efforts continue to grow and witnessing the positive impact that this will have within the industry. BIM is changing and challenging the way industry professionals think about how technology can be applied to the industry. and greater certainty for project outcomes. Sydney. such as insurance and contractual issues. Dr. Megan Motto David Parken Chief Executive Officer Consult Australia Chief Executive Officer Australian Institute of Architects BIM in Practice – Introduction // Version 1 – August 2012] // Page 6 . It has been widely reported that the construction industry in Australia and overseas wastes over 30% of its efforts. contractors. Adelaide. clients. Consult Australia is proud to have partnered with the Australian Institute of Architects to deliver the first comprehensive range of cross-disciplinary practice documents for Building Information Modelling (BIM) entitled BIM in Practice. Bilal Succar. The presentations provide invaluable networking opportunities for the entire range of BIM stakeholders within the building industry: architects. where all team members are encouraged to contribute to problem solving.